Parker Brothers

Parker Brothers at a Glance

Parker Brothers operated as a United States developer and publisher from 1979 through 1997 before becoming a defunct brand under Hasbro. The company released 21 titles on PlayPile, serving as the publisher for 19 of these games and taking a direct development role in nine projects. Their catalog spans three decades, starting with a single release in the 1970s, expanding to ten games in the 1980s, and settling at six titles during the 1990s. This output heavily favored the Atari 2600 platform with thirteen games, followed by five for the ColecoVision and four each for the Atari 5200, Commodore C64/128/MAX, and Atari 8-bit systems. They also reached niche markets through handheld electronic LCD devices and personal computers like the ZX Spectrum and BBC Microcomputer System. Genre focus shifted significantly over their lifespan. The arcade sector dominated their early work with eight titles, while shooters, platformers, and puzzles each claimed four releases. As the company matured, they leaned heavily into adaptations of board games and trivia, evident in later releases like Trivial Pursuit (1994), Jumanji (1996), and Electronic Hand-Held Monopoly (1997). Their average IGDB rating sits at 62.6 out of 100 across the nine rated titles in their database. This score reflects a mixed quality trend where only one game achieved a great rating above 80, while four titles fell into the good range between 60 and 79. Four games landed in the mixed category between 40 and 59, and none dropped below that threshold. The highest-rated entry is Star Wars from 1983 at 80.2, followed by Montezuma's Revenge featuring Panama Joe (1984) at 70.7. Mid-tier performers include Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1982) and Amidar (1981). Quality appears to have dipped in their final years of operation. Recent releases from the mid-1990s, such as Clue (1992) and Boggle Plus (1992), scored 57 out of 100. This decline suggests a shift toward licensed family products that did not resonate as strongly with critics or players compared to their earlier arcade and action efforts. The company remains a notable example of a traditional game manufacturer adapting to the video game market during its most transformative period before its brand was absorbed by Hasbro.

Release Timeline

Rating Distribution